Raija Talvio

Hyväveli

Patrolman Loyan tries to find his place in the new police department while keeping his friend Warsame, newly released from prison, on the right track. Loyan's ambition is to get into detective training, but his supervisor Jokisalo thinks he'd be better off patrolling the familiar neighbourhoods with his partner Johanna. The patrol gets down to business when they start investigating what looks like a suicide. Antero Päiviö, a professional criminal and racial bigot involved in drug trafficking, has jumped from his balcony. The man who was first pronounced dead suddenly wakes up and is taken to hospital. Loyan finds it hard to believe the man's story and decides to find out the truth at any cost. As the plot unravels, it's hard to know who to trust anymore, when Warsame seems to be up to something behind Loyan's back.

Diva of Finland

Northern small town girl, 18 year-old Henna is literally blinded by envy after stalking Silja, a girl moving from South and who seems to get everything Hanna dreams of. Diva of Finland is a story about rivalry between young women and getting over it.

August Fools

An comedy set in 1960s Helsinki. The story revolves around Elsa, a resolute hatmaker who is in complete control of her life. Besides running her shop, she sometimes doubles as a fortune teller. When Jan, a Czechoslovakian jazz musician and Elsa's old lover comes to town to perform at a "peace and friendship festival", her well-organised life is jolted out of balance.

For the Living and the Dead

An ordinary suburban family is shattered when their youngest son is killed in an accidental fire while locked inside the family's car on their yard. Mother Marja can't stop crying, father Jaakko can't cry at all but blames himself for the fire. Their remaining son Timo develops problems at school because of his constant worries about his parents' safety. In their grief, Marja and her sister Leena have to confront an old family secret, their little sister's accidental death for which Leena has quietly blamed herself through decades.

Little Sister

Katri's husband has died in the Finnish Winter War. When the Continuation War begins, Katri volunteers to work in a Helsinki military hospital. She is courted by a patient, a poetry-reciting countryman bound to be released from service. In the same time, she dates old school friend Eero who even goes AWOL to be near her. As the war continues, Katri has to make difficult decisions about her life.

Leningrad Cowboys Go America

The Leningrad Cowboys, a group of Siberian musicians, and their manager, travel to America seeking fame and fortune. As they cross the country, trying to get to a wedding in Mexico, they are followed by the village idiot, who wishes to join the band.

Ariel

A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.

Hamlet Goes Business

When Hamlet discovers his father’s deceased body, he finds himself pulled into a power struggle as his scheming uncle attempts to secure a monopoly on the Scandinavian rubber duck industry. Will Hamlet avenge his father? Will he become the king of rubber ducks? Does any of it really matter?

Shadows in Paradise

Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her-luck cashier, in a local supermarket. Falteringly, a bond begins to develop between them.

Rocky VI

Not to be confused with any of the sequels to Sylvester Stallone's classic Oscar-winning Rocky, this short film from Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki is actually meant as a parody of the late Cold War-era Rocky IV, which saw Stallone's character taking on a juiced-up Russian fighter played by Dolph Lundgren. In this 1986 send-up, Rock'y, played by Silu Seppala, goes head to head with Soviet Igor (Sakari Kuosmanen) and loses.

Rosso

Giancarlo Rosso, a professional assassin from Sicily, is sent to Finland to kill a very specific target. When he reaches the country, he discovers that the target is one of his past loves.

Calamari Union

A group of men all called Frank—except for one named Pekka—have had enough of life in their working-class neighborhood, so they set off for a better existence in the magical seaside district of Eira. But the way is long, and the group face many hurdles including stray dogs and defunct streetlights.

Crime and Punishment

In Helsinki, an ex-law student turned slaughterhouse worker commits a senseless crime that catapults him into loneliness. Only a woman who accidentally arrived at the crime scene wants to follow him, but guilt and the tightening net of the police throw a shadow over their desperate love affair.

Crime and Punishment

In Helsinki, an ex-law student turned slaughterhouse worker commits a senseless crime that catapults him into loneliness. Only a woman who accidentally arrived at the crime scene wants to follow him, but guilt and the tightening net of the police throw a shadow over their desperate love affair.